The present invention relates to an apparatus for positioning desired portions of tapes simultaneously in a predetermined position, and more particularly it relates to an improvement of tape holding means of the tape driving apparatus.
The present invention is particularly applicable to multi-purpose codeless input equipments for computer addressers, telephone itself and telephone exchangers, microfilm readers, magnetic recording systems or the like.
A conventional codeless input machine 4 (FIG. 1) comprises an input unit 1 and a film 2 on which a number of items 3 are recorded in matrix pattern. Each item recorded on the film corresponds to a respective information to be inputted. All of the items recorded on the film are grouped into a plurality of pages 5 having a lengthwise dimension B equal to that of the input unit, a transverse dimension of each page corresponding to the width of the film. In order to position a desired item 3 on the input unit 1 for inputting the information corresponding to the desired item, the film 2 can be moved by means of an appropriate film feeding device (not shown) incorporated into the input machine in both directions indicated by an arrow A such that the page 5 including the desired item 3 is aligned with the input unit 1. When the desired item 3 is energized by a pen-touch or key-push operation, a corresponding input signal is generated; said input signal selecting or designating a corresponding address among a plurality of addresses stored in a memory (not shown) through the medium of a control portion (not shown) in the input unit 1, thereby generating an output signal regarding the information corresponding to the desired item. When a new item to be inputted next is not included in the present page, the film must be moved to position a new page including said new item on the input unit 1.
In this conventional input machine, since the movement of the film is effected per "page", when the lengthwise dimension of the page B and the moving speed of the film is V, it takes at least a time of B/V fo changing a page from one to the next one. Particularly, if the first page is changed to the last page, when the total number of pages is N, it takes a long time of B/V (N-1). Accordingly, this conventional input machine has a disadvantage of time consumption for changing pages with the result that the efficiency of the inputting operation is reduced.
By increasing the moving speed of the film, the above drawback of the conventional input machine can be more or less eliminated. However, in this case, there exists another drawback that it is difficult to accurately stop a desired page of the film in a predetermined position on the input unit.
To eliminate the above drawbacks of the conventional codeless input machine, the applicant has proposed a new type of tape driving apparatuses, as described in the Japanese Patent Application No. 124877/82 and Japanese Patent Application No. 136538/82. The apparatus described in the Japanese Patent Application No. 124877/82 (referred to as "flat-type tape driving apparatus" hereinafter) comprises a plurality of first rollers arranged side by side in a single plane, a plurality of tapes each of which is wound from its one end on the corresponding first roller and which are wound together from the other ends thereof on a single second roller, and a plurality of guide plates each of which is arranged above the corresponding first roller and on which the tapes pass, the tapes being shifted simultaneously by the same amount by selectively driving the first rollers or the second roller. In the apparatus described in the Japanese Patent Application 136538/82 (referred to as "annular-type tape driving apparatus" hereinafter), the first rollers are arranged around the second roller and are disposed equidistantly from the second roller and from each other, the tapes being wound from their one ends on the corresponding first rollers and being also wound together from the other ends thereof on the second roller, the guide plates being arranged over the radially outermost portions of the first rollers.
Although these apparatuses bring about satisfactory results, due to the existence of the guide plates, the construction of the apparatus is relatively complex.
The applicant found that the tape driving apparatus can operate effectively without the guide plates by modifying the construction of the rollers and that the tapes can be more effectively utilized.